Any construction or survey work requires accurate calculations of landscape differences in a particular area. Conventional surveying instruments such as level, tape measure, rangefinder and theodolite can handle small areas, but if it comes to thousands of square meters, measurements can take weeks. Most often, customers give preference to contractors performing work as soon as possible, so in the field of modern surveying work without an electronic total station is becoming more and more difficult.
What it is?
The total station is a modern geodetic instrument. In his power to produce fast and high-precision shooting with a complete picture of the relief. It combines traditional geodetic devices: theodolite, light-range finder and electronic data logger, and all this despite its compact size. A total station is a device that can perform calculations at a distance of up to five kilometers with an error of one centimeter and transmit data via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
History
Almost half a century ago, the first instruments were created, remotely resembling total stations. First, the theodolite and the light range finder were installed independently of each other, then they began to be combined in one case, and later they equipped the device with a special panel through which angles could be entered. Swiss engineers created the first full-fledged total station by replacing the angle reading from optical to electronic. Thanks to this modernization, it became possible to significantly automate geodetic work. Electronic total stations became widely known in the market of geodetic instruments about twenty-five years ago.
Principle of operation
The total station is a rather perfect instrument, however, and it has recently been radically modernized. Older models in their work are based on the phase method. It consists in calculating the phase difference between two rays: projected and returned.
More modern models are based on the pulse method. It consists in counting the time it takes the laser beam to go from the total station to the reflector and return.
The range of operation of the device in reflectionless mode depends on how the surface on which the beam is projected is painted. The distance when choosing a dark and dull surface compared to light and smooth decreases several times, however, it will still not exceed 1200 meters. Long-range measurements are made only in reflective mode, in which the range is at least five kilometers.
Manufacturers
Various electronic total stations are widely represented on the Russian market. These are Japanese, and Swiss, Swedish and American brands. Each of them has a long history of development.
The Japanese company Sokkia Topcon has been presenting its products on the market of surveying and construction for more than a hundred years. The devices of this brand are of constant quality and high accuracy.
Swiss Leica total stations appeared on the market in 1990, after the merger of several companies and a reorientation towards exclusively surveying equipment. Leica Geosystems products are in high demand in the geodesy market, not only ground-based, but also satellite.
The Swedish company GeoMax is a well-known manufacturer of surveying instruments. It was also formed in the nineties of the last century and to this day successfully competes with Leica in the European market of surveying equipment. The GeoMax product line, including hardware and software, is highly regarded by engineers for its high quality and accuracy.
Nikon Total Station manufactured by Trimble Navigation. This manufacturer began its history in 1978. At first, only navigation devices for the needs of maritime shipping rolled off the assembly line of a young American company, and later, about twenty-five years ago, with the development of space positioning, Trimble engineers began working on GPS navigators. Geodetic equipment, including total stations, has replenished the company's assortment since 2003, after the purchase of the Nikon brand.
Brand Comparison
Although many say that within the same class of differences between the models of total stations from different manufacturers a little, this is not entirely true. On the Russian market, the most famous are Sokkia, Leica and Nikon total stations . If we conditionally divide them into classes, then the Swiss brand Leica will receive the first, Sokkia - the second, and Nikon and the rest of the brands - the third. The same "hierarchy" are the prices of total stations of these brands.
Leica - high-quality Swiss appliances, they are good for everyone except the price. These total stations have their own characteristics, which at first may seem uncomfortable to someone, for example, the notch mode and the removal of points in kind. The price for the devices of this brand starts with half a million for a simple model for construction needs. Leica engineering total stations cost between five and seven million.
Sokkia Reviews
Sokkia appliances, conditionally taking the second place after Leica, are distinguished by reliability, convenience and traditional Japanese quality. Their plus is also in an intuitive interface. Sokkia tacheometers are equipped with good rangefinders and withstand various operating conditions. There are also disadvantages, for example, the rather old Sokkia 530R model has problems measuring through small obstacles (for example, if there is an armature in the way). The price tag is noticeably lower than that of Swiss colleagues, for example, the Sokkia iX-503 robotic engineering total station will cost a little more than a million rubles.
More often than not, the price stops the buyers as much as the fear of the complexity of automated models, because working with them may not be enough just to read the instructions of the total station.
Buyers About Nikon
Although we have given the third place to the tacheometers of this brand, this does not mean that the instruments do not meet the standards and are unsuitable for work. Firstly, they are the most budgetary on the market. A lightweight, convenient and compact total station of this brand can be bought for seven hundred thousand rubles. The cheapest model will cost several times cheaper, which makes Nikon one of the most affordable total stations in the Russian market.
These total stations are assembled in China, but the owners claim that it does not affect their performance too much. They can easily withstand harsh operating conditions (dust, dirt, rain) and cope with their tasks. For example, the aforementioned Sokkia 530R has problems measuring through small obstacles, while the Nikon models do not have it, moreover, the owners say that it can cope even if the milestone is difficult to see.
Before the purchase
If the budget for the total station has already been determined and it remains only to choose a model, it is worth remembering that the fundamental characteristics of the instruments of one price segment are quite similar. The difference most often lies in the small details, interface and software, so you need to draw up a clear plan of tasks that the total station will have to perform in a particular organization. For example, if you intend to work in particularly harsh conditions, such as low temperatures or constant humidity, you should pay attention to special models that are available from most manufacturers. Experienced suppliers will be able to point out certain shortcomings of a particular model.